Convertible table and easel



July 9, 1957 w. A. GRIFFITH' J 2,798,333

' convmrmmmsm AND EASELw Filed June 7, 1955 4 I INVENTOR. h/aazw A. GP/FF/m;

United States Patent CONVERTIBLE TABLE ANDEEASEL Wilson A. Grifiith, Wiuchenflon, Mass.

Application June 7, 1955,1Serial-No..513,678' Claims. (Cl. 45-131) This invention relates to a convertible table and artists easel or draftsmans drawing-board,and .the principal object .of the invention resides in the provision of an ,easily converted article of furniture of the :class describedineluding a stable having a pivoted working top which is arranged tohinge at the forward edge of the table and which serves as a table-top, an artists easel, or draftsmans drawing-board, and which may be set at varying degrees of angularity with respect to the table in order to provide for the desired inclination thereof during use.

Other objects of the invention include the provision of an extension for the table-top easel member; the provision of a pair of brackets one of which is hinged to the rear or under surface of the table-top easel and the other of which is connected to a shaft to be turned thereby in the manner of a crank for extending the combined brackets to pivot the table-top easel to a desired inclined position and to provide for supporting the same in such adjusted position; and the provision of a new and improved paper holder movably arranged at the forward portion of the table and having automatic contact with the forward edge of the table-top easel for holding paper conveniently thereby.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will ap pear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,

in which:

Fig. 1 is a View in front elevation illustrating the table extended to be used as an easel and illustrating an extension piece therefor, part being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation showing the device in use as a table, the table-top easel being in lowermost position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in side elevation of the upper portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1, part being broken away and part being in section; and

Fig. 4 is a rear View, partly in section, along line 4-4 in Fig. 3.

The present article of furniture is adapted to be used as a table as shown in Fig. 2 and the legs of the table and some other parts may be of any desired or convenient construction. However, the supporting portion of the table is here shown as comprising a pair of relatively broad ornamental side members and 12 and a rear member 14 of like form. The side members 10 and 12 are connected by an inclined footrest 16 and the front of the table is open for the admission of the users knees with his feet resting on the member 16.

The members 10, 12 and 14 are all secured together at the corners thereof both at the top and bottom, the member 16 securing the members 10 and 12 at the bottom of the structure near the forward portion thereof, and at the top of the structure at the forward portion, the side members 10 or 12 are secured together by a drawer front frame 18 in which is slidably mounted a drawer 20. This structure provides a relatively strong, rigid, rectangular table frame.

The top of the table is provided by the member generally indicated at 22 .and which provides the easel or drawing-board. Table-top member 22 is hinged as at 24 at the forward edge of the table construction, as for instanceat the top edgeof the drawer frame 18 for swinging-movement according to arrow 26 in Fig. 3 between the dotted line position wherein it is used as a table-top and the full line position showing an inclined adjustable location therefor.

Adjacent the topedge of member 22 at the rear thereof, there is provided a cross member 28 having a series of slots 30 therein for the reception of a series of extending 'fingers 32 in the-natureof struts for applying a removable plane extension member 34 to the rear or free edge of the'table-top easel member '22.

At the rear surface of the table-top easel member 22, there are provided a pair of cleats 34' upon which are mounted hinges 36 pivotally connected to a triangular bracket 38. 'This bracket 38 at its apex is connected as by a-hinge 4.0 to the apex of .a similar bracket member 42*which 'may also be in triangular form. The base of member-42 is fixedly securedto a cross shaft 44 which may be journalled in the side wall members 10 and 12. This shaft may be provided with a crank 46 for turning the shaft and thus raising and lowering the table-top easel member 22, and the handle 46 may be held in adjusted position by a series of selected pins 48 arranged in a section 50 attached to the side member 10 to hold the brackets and table-top easel member in the desired adjusted position.

At the front of the structure, there is provided a cross member generally indicated at 52. This member extends across the drawer frame 18 and extends slightly beyond the edges thereof, being supported upon a pair of rearwardly extending cleat members 54 pivoted at 56 upon the respective wall members 10 and 12. Abutments 53 fixed to side members 10 and 12 are provided with springs 60 which bear down upon the upper edge of the respective cleat 54 and yieldingly maintain the transverse member 52 in uppermost position as shown in Fig. 3, abutting the forward edge 62 of the table-top member 22 and thereby resiliently acting as a clamp for holding paper against the easel at all times.

When the table-top easel is moved up and down, it will bear on the rear side of the cross member 52, but due to the action of spring 60, the entire U-shaped member comprising the cross piece 52 and the cleats 54, 54 is enabled to move sufficiently to enable the passage of the table-top edge 52, and at the same time the cross-piece 52 is held snugly thereagainst in adjusted position of the easel table-top member. The spring 60 may assume any well known or usual form.

It will be seen that this invention provides a relatively simple and easily and quickly adjustable convertible table and artists easel or draftsmans drawing-board including paper-holding means, a simple and inexpensive device for adjusting the easel member and holding it in position, and a drawer for storing materials.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, means forming a stand, a table-top member thereon, said table-top member being hinged at one edge of the stand, means for upwardly pivoting said table-top member from a horizontal position directly supported on the top of the stand to inclined position with respect thereto, said table-top member pivoting means comprising a crank, a shaft and a pair of brackets, said brackets being pivoted together and one bracket being pivoted to the under side of the tabletop member and the other bracket being fixedly secured to the shaft.

2. In a device of the class described, means forming a stand, a table-top member thereon, said table-topmember being hinged adjacent one edge of the stand, means for upwardly pivoting said table-top member from a horizontal position directly supported on the top of the stand to inclined position with respect thereto, said tabletop member pivoting means comprising a crank, a shaft and a pair of brackets, said brackets being pivoted together and one bracket being pivoted to the under side of the table-top member and the other bracket being fixedly secured to the shaft, a' floating cross member in contact with the forward edge of the table-top member and resilient means maintaining said cross member against the edge of the table-top member in adjusted position of the'latter.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said resilient means includes a spring and a rearwardly-extending cleat secured to said cross piece, said cleat being pivotally mounted on said stand.

4. A convertible table and artists easel comprising upright members forming legs, said legs being secured together at the top ends thereof, one side of said structure being open, a drawer frame connecting the opposite members of said structure at the open side thereof adjacent the top end, a pivoted table-top easel member, means hinging the latter adjacent the forward edge thereof to the drawer frame, a shaft journaled in opposite side members of said stand, means for turning the shaft, a bracket fixed to said shaft and movable therewith, a second bracket hinged to the first bracket, said second bracket being hinged to the table top easel, means for rotating said shaft, and means for holding the shaft in fixed position of selected adjustment of the table-top easel member.

5. The construction of claim 4 including an extension member for said table-top easel adapted to be detachably applied to the free end thereof and inter-engaging means on the extension in said table-top easel at said free end for detachably securing the same together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 957,583 Tindall May 10, 1910 1,829,288 May Oct. 27, 1931 1,925,771 Miller, Sept. 5, 1933 2,223,405 Cain Dec. 3, 1940 2,508,470 Ritter May 23, 1950 2,593,364 Thompson Apr. 15, 1952 

